


Part of a Whole

by AceandShadow



Series: Hell and Fire [6]
Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Tragedy, Desperation, F/F, Game: Destiny 2: Forsaken DLC Feels, Game: Destiny 2: Forsaken DLC Spoilers, Pre-Game: Destiny 2: Forsaken DLC, Revenge, light and dark
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 16
Words: 18,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26512639
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceandShadow/pseuds/AceandShadow
Summary: Cayde has been Araeya's hero and mentor since her first rez, whether he knew it or not and going to ask her to join him out in the field made her year. At least, that was the case until Kallori disagreed with it, causing friction between the Guardians.Things go from bad to worse when Araeya is present for an event that would change the way she viewed the world and she slowly succumbs to the Darkness, nearing that thin line and becoming a mere part of a whole. Kallori and Skivay try everything they can to help bring her back, but with every attempt, Araeya slips further from their reach.
Relationships: Araeya/Kallori
Series: Hell and Fire [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1587838
Kudos: 3





	1. One Step Foward

“Araeya, I need to cash in a favour you owe me…” If Cayde could have blushed, he would have as he carefully approached one very happy Hunter, fresh off a very successful raid.

Araeya waved goodbye to her fireteam as they disbanded across the courtyard on transmat and turned to Cayde, smiling ear to ear, and put her hands on her hips.

“I think it’s actually _you_ that owes _me_ a favour, if I remember rightly.” Her voice was more cheerful than normal. It’s not that Araeya wasn’t a happy person, but more that she’d had gone through so much that it was nice to hear her feel something positive. Her life was about as stable as it could get, and it looked good on her.

Cayde scoffed and chuckled sheepishly, almost panicking. “Heh, heh, maybe…” He paused and stood up straight, looking Araeya dead in the eyes, scratching the back of his head. Araeya always thought that was a strange thing for an Exo to do. “Okay, maybe it is. But you can cash it in right now, if you like and I’ll help you help me…”

Cayde knew that wasn’t his best save, but since Araeya was in such a good mood, it made her curious to see what he wanted.

When it’s mid-September and the Hunter Vanguard wants a favour for something, it’d almost be folly not to see what their game is. Not a whole lot had happened since Spring when Xol made an attempt on Rasputin so Araeya was itching for an adventure other than the usual strikes and raids along with the occasional earful of Shaxx when she would dip into Crucible.

Along with Kallori, she had her fair share of adventures – some better than others – but it was high time she embarked on another and possibly this time with someone else. She didn’t have a problem with Kallori. In fact, that couldn’t be farther from the truth.

Araeya _loved_ Kallori. She loved her to the moon and back and then some. But she always wanted to have an adventure where she could come home and sit with Kallori on the sofa and tell her all about it – to have something to share with her other than her checkered past.

“Okay, I’ll bite. What do you need?” Araeya agreed and folded her arms. Curiosity would always get the better of her.

Cayde’s eyes lit up in anticipation and he clapped his hands excitedly.

“Alright, so, you remember Petra, right?”

Araeya nodded. “Sure.”

“Okay, so, you know I’ve been neither here nor there, right?”

Araeya looked confused. She didn’t want to look too disrespectful, but she wasn’t 100% sure what he meant. She hadn’t given him all that much thought since the Ramen incident back in July, just before Solstice.

She wasn’t sure if he’d forgiven her for spilling Pork Ramen on the Colonel’s handmade cloak, so she almost avoided him.

“Um…sure?”

“How I’ve been in and out of the Tower for the past month?”

_So that’s why she never saw him about…_

“Alright,” she began, “I didn’t know you were in and out…” Araeya looked at him carefully. He just stood and gawked at her.

“Damn I was so sure that you’d be asking for me while I was out…” He thought for a moment. “Never mind. I was helping Petra clean up some mess out on the Reef, only it seems she just can’t get enough of me.”

Cayde was unusually chipper for someone who couldn’t leave the Tower without having to sneak out. It made Araeya wonder all the more what it was he wanted from her.

“She needs you again, I take it?” she asked.

Cayde nodded. “She just metal to a magnet for my handsome looks.” He was proud of himself, but Araeya just stared judgementally at him. he cleared his throat. “Gig is; we need an extra pair of hands and you kinda fit the bill for this, being my favourite and all…”

“You want _my_ help?” Araeya was surprised. She deemed herself much less of a Guardian than most of the others around. “Is Nadia not about? Or Quantis? Surely they’re better than I?”

Cayde laughed. “Nadia has done her part and Quantis is better off staying on Nessus where I can keep half an eye on her. If it makes you feel any better, Banshee and Hawthorne have had a crack at it, too…”

Araeya was a bit surprised by that. She didn’t know what to say.

“No. For this, I want _you_ at my side.”

Now Araeya knew something was up because Cayde’s voice never wavered. He was so sure that it was her that he wanted that it made her nervous. It’s the way he said, _‘at my side.’_

Like… _partner…_

The thought made Araeya weak at the knees with both the anticipation and the pressure of such an honour.

She hadn’t realised that she’d been stood in front of Cayde still gawking at him, lost in her thoughts. He interrupted them.

“So…you in?”

It took her a while to find words. She was still stunned by his request.

“Yeah. Yeah, okay, I will!”

Cayde’s eyes shone the brightest Araeya had seen in a long time. She was warmed by the thought that she had made him feel this pleased. She only tried to avoid disappointing him since she arrived back on Earth after her rez. After this, she felt whole – like she’d achieved what she set out to do. Now: to keep it up!

“Alright then!” Cayde jumped with delight as if he were a little child at Christmas – an old Golden Age tradition. He lowered his voice a little bit and leant into Araeya. “Meet me by my usual spot in the Hangar at dusk tomorrow. Petra will have everything under control until then.”

Araeya beamed as Cayde strolled off back towards the Hangar. She couldn’t stop smiling. The protégé working with their mentor out in the field! She could have clicked her heals all the way home if she knew how!

She could not wait to get home and tell Kallori all about it.

And the raid. The raid as well. Couldn’t forget the raid. She _had_ done it completely flawless, after all…


	2. One Step Back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Araeya can't wait to tell Kallori everything that Cayde had said to her and Skivay was present to hear it all. Kallori isn't as excited as Araeya and it causes some tension between the two, putting Skivay in the middle and trying to calm them down

Araeya had lost all sense of normality when she arrived at her front door. She knew Kallori was at home because she abandoned a Crucible game earlier in the day that had Shaxx send her home on a suspension. He hated doing that to her because she was such an asset in the Crucible. She really challenged her opponents, having them adapt to a fiercer gameplay. Shaxx liked that, but he just couldn’t stand it when she picks up and leaves when something doesn’t go to plan.

Araeya stood in front of the door and shuffled around on herself, brushing the dust off her armour and wiping her Sealed Ahamkara Grasps almost as if she wanted to impress her girlfriend. She did and would always try, but this felt different.

As she reached for the handle, she heard another person inside laughing along with Kallori. She couldn’t make out who it was, and it made her nervous.

Without wanting to worry too much, she calmly opened the door and, on the sofa, laid Kallori still in her Crucible armour from earlier. Araeya loved Kallori’s Crucible armour. She looked astonishingly dark and mysterious – a side to Kallori that showed no fear – and how she adored that personality contrast.

On the floor opposite the sofa sat Skivay, also in her full armour – helmet included. She looked good in her Helm of Saint-14. She looked like a real hero.

Araeya breathed a sigh of relief. Skivay was someone that was a sight for sore eyes, no matter what day they had – she was always so happy.

“You’re home!” Kallori exclaimed, sitting up on the sofa. “I was just telling Skiv about Rexus and Yarus the other day and the doughnut incident.” She was still laughing as she spoke to Araeya who was stood in the open door still admiring the comfort of her current living room.

_Could this day get any better?_

“Haha yes! Sometimes I wish I was there with you guys on your adventures with those Titans – they sound like a real riot!” Skivay said with glee. She often missed hanging around with Kallori and her friends with being part of the scouting effort. She was regularly deployed on week-long missions in the system and didn’t get to partake in the antics.

Araeya smiled and closed the door. Kallori patted the seat next to her, beckoning Araeya to go over and sit next to her. Skivay removed her helmet and shook her hair out.

“So. You look like you’ve had a good day!” she said, eyes shining eagerly. “You’re practically glowing!”

Araeya blushed. She didn’t realise her content was so obvious to other Guardians. Twink bobbed next to her and bumped her shoulder gently and she looked at him, still smiling.

“Go on then. Spill!” Kallori asserted.

Twink floated away with Spark into their Ghost room next to Araeya’s study and Cynder materialised next to Skivay and perched on her shoulder, also eager.

“Well,” Araeya began, nervously. She desperately wanted to contain the excitement just a little bit longer. “I was approached by Cayde, personally, today.”

Skivay sat forward, propping her head up with her fist in anticipation. “Keep going!”

“Um, he asked me to go out in the field with him tomorrow evening. We’re going to the Reef to help Petra.” This was it. Araeya couldn’t keep it in anymore and she began smiling from ear to ear once more and she beamed with pride. Skivay’s eyes lit up, shining on her pale green skin. She, too, was proud of her little Hunter friend.

Kallori, however, remained unmoved.

“You go girl! You’re getting in with the big brass now!” Skivay bounced in her spot on the floor, visibly more excited than Araeya.

“I’m actually really excited. I shouldn’t be because it sounds serious, but I can’t help it…” Araeya looked over at Kallori and she promptly stopped smiling. That wasn’t the vibe she was expecting.

“You shouldn’t be, you’re right,” she said bluntly.

“What’s wrong?” Araeya asked, nervous as to what the Warlock would say.

“You of all people know that Cayde is trouble. Remember when you went after Draksis? He provoked you to do that. What if it all went wrong again and you never came back? He would’ve never noticed you missing. Or Oryx? He put you in immense danger. He put us _all_ in immense danger. Or the Red War when he decided to tamper with equipment unfathomable to him? He was fucking lucky that we needed to find him, or he would have been stuck in that timeloop infinitely. Araeya, I can’t lose you because your Vanguard is reckless.”

Silence rang throughout the living room with Araeya and Kallori locked in gazes and Skivay unsure as to whether she should say something. She disagreed with Kallori and thought Araeya should take this opportunity to go out in the field with her mentor on his say-so instead of her coming to him and asking for help.

“Kal… last year, _you_ were reckless. _You_ put us in danger as well and look who helped to get you out of that mess…” Araeya had a point. With the Awoken debacle and Mara, Cayde had to jump in to help them all out. In many cases, he was the reason they weren’t exiled like Osiris at the end of it all.

Skivay needed to interject somewhere. “Kallori, I think Ari should take this. It’s not very often the mentor approaches their protégé and asks them to directly help them out in the field. If something ever went wrong, then she has us to help her out.”

Kallori didn’t like that. “It’s not the fact that I don’t want her to take the chance. It’s because I couldn’t bear it if something _did_ go wrong and I’d have to spend the entire time worrying if she will be okay. Not after Ja’aun.”

Araeya placed her hand on Kallori’s shoulder in an attempt to comfort her, but her body sat hard as rock with tension. That was indicative enough to Araeya that something deeper was bothering Kallori about all this.

“Kal, you really have to trust that everything will be okay. I report for duty almost every day. Every day you could argue that I am in danger. That business with Ja’aun stemmed from one of those daily missions – a strike. I doubt that this will be anything even close to all that.”

Araeya felt Kallori’s shoulders drop a little bit. It was only a little bit, but it was enough for her to relax and believe that Kallori was merely worrying too much about too little.

“Kallori? You of all people know that Araeya is a tough cookie. She will end up being the one keeping Cayde out of trouble, you watch.” Skivay was ever the positive one of the three of them. There wasn’t a lot that would dampen her spark as she could smile through hell. She _had_ done, time and time again and how she aimed to please everyone wherever she treads. Her scouting team were never without her and would never want to be – they said she was the reason they could report for duty every week.

Her smile really was so simple, yet so rewarding.

“That’s what I’m worried about. If she’s protecting that who should be protecting her, she isn’t watching her back. Fucking no one will be. Then what?”

“Okay, Kallori, now you really are overthinking things. It probably isn’t even that big of a deal.”

Kallori’s head whipped around to shoot a stare so powerful at Araeya that she felt it pierce her shield. Those silver eyes sliced her own golden glow.

“Are you fucking blind?!” Kallori quickly stood up and looked down on Araeya. “Since when has Cayde _ever_ needed backup when it’s not a big deal? Remember how he always goes on about working alone? If this has been an ongoing problem, why hasn’t he called for backup sooner, huh? It’s because it’s gone out of control. He can’t handle it alone anymore. Now he needs you. What part of that _doesn’t_ scream dangerous?”

Both Skivay and Araeya stood up after her. Neither of them could compare to her dominant stance, nor could they compete with her height. They fell just a little bit short.

“Now you really _are_ blowing things out of proportion, Kallori, please calm down,” Skivay said attempting to bring Kallori down from the rafters, but Kallori merely glared at her harder, downsizing the Titan.

“Kal, this really isn’t any different from running with a fireteam. You’re just worried because the Vanguard don’t directly get involved unless it poses a bigger threat than Guardians alone can deal with, but those threats only become bigger if left unchecked. If the Awoken oversaw it, then they probably couldn’t contain it for long enough, so now, they’re calling in some Guardians. Cayde is Petra’s link to the Tower, so he’d be the first to know and you know how he gets with Petra. He wants to impress her, so he jumped in himself, found they needed an extra Guardian and came to me. It probably really is nothing…” Araeya’s voice trailed off towards the end, worried she was becoming too harsh towards the Warlock.

Defeated, Kallori huffed and stormed passed the two Guardians in front of her and into the kitchen, leaving Araeya and Skivay gawking at each other in disbelief.

“Ms Skivay? Tyrell is wondering where you are. You should be heading home, now,” Cynder chirped politely. Skivay grabbed her helmet from the floor and kindly landed her palm on Araeya’s shoulder.

“She’ll come around. We’re here for you _if_ something should go wrong, but I have every faith that it won’t.”

With that, Skivay and Cynder took their leave and Araeya turned to the kitchen where Kallori was leaning over the sink, looking out of the window. From her body posture, she was trying hard not to lose her temper.

Araeya approached the door and held the frame and opened her mouth to say something, but she couldn’t think of anything meaningful to say. Instead, she stood at the door and watched Kallori as she tried to calm down.

She wasn’t doing well.

“My team and I went flawless aboard the Leviathan today…” she said hoping a change of subject would lighten the mood a little bit.

Kallori didn’t move. She didn’t say a thing. Araeya was stumped and at a loss for words. She really thought that would bring her round.

“I’ll…see you in the morning…” she said quietly.

Kallori still said nothing.

Araeya sighed and trundled up the stairs on her own and waited for her to come up to bed.

She never came.


	3. Two Steps Forward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Araeya and Kallori's disagreement the night before, Araeya wakes up to find that nothing has changed the following morning and Kallori is still in a bad mood. To make things worse, Cayde arrives unexpectedly early, causing anxiety to skyrocket among the Guardians

As Araeya woke up, she noticed Twink was hovering over her. This was unusual for him as he would usually wait downstairs in the kitchen for her to make sure she ate before she reported for duty. His eye looked wary.

“Be careful when you get downstairs, Araeya. Kallori didn’t have a good night…”

Now Araeya knew something was bothering Kallori because, not only did she not come to bed last night, but she didn’t sleep at all. That also could mean that Spark was pestered, so _he’ll_ be in a bad mood, too.

Regardless. Araeya couldn’t leave without at least trying to talk to Kallori.

She plodded her way down the stairs and into the kitchen as she did every day, passing Kallori on the sofa, not even acknowledging her at first.

“You can’t ignore her,” Twink reminded her.

“I know. I just need a moment…”

“You may not have one…”

Twink was right. The longer Araeya remained silent in Kallori’s presence, the further away they were drifting from one another.

She peered around the kitchen door to see Kallori slouched on the sofa, staring into the void around her. She was holding her helmet and Spark was hovering just above, looking slightly down on his Guardian.

“Morning, Kal. You on duty today?” Araeya asked tentatively.

“No.” Kallori was prompt and assertive with her response. So much so that Araeya couldn’t then ask her next question. Instead, she would have to result to basic conversation and stop beating about the bush.

“Are you okay?” she asked slowly sitting next to her, placing a hand on her knee. Kallori’s posture dropped as she relaxed to the feel of Araeya’s soothing palm. As her head drooped, Araeya took Kallori’s helmet from her hands and sat it down the other side of her. Spark moved down to sit on the arm of the sofa.

“I can’t let him take you away…” she whispered.

“You really have to believe that this isn’t any different from my daily routine. Cayde can be a joke, but he knows what he’s doing, and so do I,” Araeya replied calmly. Hearing Kallori’s voice so quiet brought peace to her, knowing that she wasn’t angry.

Kallori let out a prolonged, defeated sigh as her head drooped lower. She held Araeya’s hand on her lap, clutching it in her own. After everything Araeya had gone through on her own at first, and then everything they went through together, there was something about her being called for by Cayde that made her uneasy. Something didn’t feel right, and she only wished Araeya could see it. How awful she felt knowing there was so little she could do to change things.

Araeya handed Kallori her helmet back to her.

“If it makes you feel better, as you’re not on duty today, you can be on standby. I will call you the second things go awry, alright? Then you can tell me ‘I told you so’ as many times as you like.” Her smile made Kallori feel better. Maybe she was overreacting after all.

A knock at the door made Kallori jump as she took her helmet from Araeya’s hands. They exchanged looks as Araeya got up off the sofa to answer it.

Before she was even able to open the door fully to see who was behind it, that person had already started rambling.

“Oh good it’s finally you it took me so long to find the right house and your neighbours didn’t seem too pleased to see me at their door and I’m pretty sure one of them started crying and asking where her husband was at, it kinda confused me a bit and then I couldn’t get away-” they sounded as if they couldn’t take a breath between sentences.

“Cayde? Is everything alright?” Araeya asked, trying to get a word in edgeways.

He sharply inhaled.

“I need you now.” His voice was stern, but not serious. Araeya, however, became very nervous and Cayde saw it in her eyes and he looked behind her to see Kallori stand up, her face pale with pain. “Petra thinks that if we intervene now, we can handle it quicker and easier.”

Araeya looked behind her at Kallori and smiled. “See? I told you he knows what he’s doing. Have a little faith.” Her smile was sincere, yet Kallori did not ease.

“I’m not happy with this, Ari. Please reconsider,” she pleaded.

Araeya looked between Kallori and Cayde, both pleading her with their eyes, asking her to contradict one another.

“I’m sorry. I have to help Cayde. I’ll be back before dark, alright? I promise,” Araeya said quietly and she leant into Kallori, giving her a quick kiss goodbye.

That wasn’t enough for Kallori, for as Araeya began to walk out the door, she grabbed her hand and pulled her in close for a longer, more passionate kiss. A part of her didn’t want it to be goodbye, but the other part of her was gnawing away at her insides, convincing her that something was going to happen, and it wasn’t something good.

Cayde stood awkwardly outside waiting for Araeya. He didn’t really want to interrupt, but he needed her. He needed her now.

“I don’t mean to interrupt precious moments like these, but we really must not keep the scary Awoken lady waiting…”

No one moved.

Eventually, Kallori finally let her go. “Don’t promise me. Just do it,” she whispered.

Araeya smiled through her emotional pain and followed Cayde out the door, Kallori blinking back tears.

“Go get ‘em.”


	4. A Step in the Right Direction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The flight to the Reef was tense following Araeya's fight with Kallori and thoughts begin to swirl around her head, causing some doubts. No matter the strength of Cayde's wit, something continues to nag at Araeya's insides, slowly convincing her that, maybe, Kallori was right.

The flight to the Reef felt long and slow as Cayde and Araeya flew their ships along the astral horizon, Araeya nervously anticipating the threat she faced.

To break the silence, she figured she ought to ask Cayde what it was they were being tasked to do.

“So, Cayde? Why does Petra need our help?”

Cayde said nothing. She was given no response. Araeya looked at Twink and back at her ship’s navigation system. Cayde was still next to her so he was in comm range. It was unlike Cayde to leave her hanging when she had a question. Even if he didn’t know the answer, he would still hit her with some sarcasm or a joke.

If Twink could have shrugged, he would as he said Cayde should have heard what she said.

“Cayde?” Araeya tried again.

Silence.

_Damn him_

A click sounded in Araeya’s ear and it made her jump and Twink’s light lit up brighter. He was trying to stifle a laugh. But why?

“Damn comms unit was turned off. I take it you didn’t hear a damn word I said, huh?”

Araeya now understood why Twink was finding it so difficult to contain himself, as she too stifled a laugh.

“No, I didn’t, Cayde,” she said trying not to make fun of him.

“Goddammit and I think it was the best joke material I’d ever had…” He paused for a second. “A good joke should only be told once so…the reason we’re are visiting Cousin Petra again is that the Prison of Elders has some…troublesome inmates that need putting back in their places. It _was_ contained, but she called me this morning saying they made their break and they can hold the fort until we get there. Once we make our grand entrance, they are going to pull back and we are going in hard and show ‘em what a party really is.”

“More troublesome than Kallori?” Araeya asked, continuing to make light of what sounded like a potentially dire situation.

Cayde chuckled. “Yes, more troublesome than that troublesome Warlock of yours. Ahh good times.”

Cayde sat back in his pilot seat, his hands firmly on the controls as Sundance materialised before him and nodded. Cayde nodded back.

Twink could tell Sundance was thinking of something, but Ghosts didn’t have telekinetic powers. Her presence felt strong and her stance felt different. He needn’t dare tell Araeya anything in case it unnerves her even more.

She was already out of sorts having left Kallori feeling the way she did and something about how nervous Kallori was made her feel uncomfortable. Kallori was rarely nervous about anything. She was virtually fearless – nothing could get in her way and nothing could stop her. It was something that Tamitt and Yarus liked her for. She was almost like them – a Titan. Sometimes Araeya would ask Spark if he rezzed the wrong person and he would often reply with;

‘She’s an undercover Titan’

Which would always make her laugh.

She wished she could hear Kallori laugh. She couldn’t get over how upset she seemed over something as simple as a mentor mission.

In fact, in having gone out without really considering Kallori’s perspective, she felt like she was betraying her girlfriend. She felt…dirty.

Cayde broke her out of her cage of thoughts. “Y’all good over there?”

Araeya thought that there was no point in keeping her thoughts to herself and decided to come straight out and get some answers from Cayde before they got there.

“Cayde? Is this dangerous?”

Cayde let out a short sharp laugh. “All the danger!” he replied with energy.

Araeya said nothing and this made Cayde suspicious as to why she really asked.

“Don’t go all soft on me now! Everything we do is dangerous, but there are different levels of danger. Oryx was maximum danger. Skolas was minimum danger. This? This is somewhere in between.”

Araeya still said nothing as she pondered Cayde’s response. Kallori would never forgive Cayde for sending her on that ship to the Dreadnaught so she knew that was ‘maximum danger.’

Cayde picked up on her silence and attempted to bring some reassurance to the table. “Don’t worry. You’ll be back to snuggle that spikey Warlock you call a girlfriend,” he chuckled. ‘Spikey’ was such an ironic term to refer to Kallori by.

“You’re sure?” Araeya asked for one last measure.

“100%.”

They both breathed a sigh of relief as their ships neared the entrance to the Prison of Elders, and on the ground below stood Petra with her hands on her hips, awaiting their anticipated arrival.

“Here goes nothing, then,” Araeya said, slightly exasperated. She looked at Twink carefully and he nodded in assurance.

“Everyone will be fine. Clear your head of any negativity. I will have your back, you will have Cayde’s and Sundance has mine. Kallori was overthinking things and now, so are you. Breathe.” His voice was calming and just what Araeya needed before she dropped to transmat alongside Cayde on the front walk to the bridge.

_Breathe_

_Breathe_

_Breathe_

Cayde glanced at her as she landed slightly behind him and they both began walking towards Petra, who looked between the two Guardians, pleased by their presence, yet disheartened by the reason for it.

One strange conversation in which Araeya never said a word, one strange knife trick and one strange yell from Cayde as he blindly jumped off the bridge and started shooting anything that moves later, Araeya cocked her Outbreak and charged in through the front door of the Prison, hearing Cayde count his kills in competition.

He would always be the real reason she remained calm in situations like this – he was the real life of a party and anyone would be stupid not to have him on their fireteam.

_‘Shoot them all to death,’_ he would say. And she would.

She would make it home.

She promised she would.

She promised _she_ would…


	5. A Step in the Wrong Direction

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All the while Araeya fights alongside the Hunter Vanguard, Kallori sits at home fretting at each passing second where she doesn't receive word that all is well. Skivay attempts to change that by lying about Araeya's communication. Unsurprisingly, this upsets Kallori further and she decides to take matters into her own hands

Back at home, Kallori was restless as she paced the house. She couldn’t find anything to do that would take her mind off Araeya’s mission.

She tried cooking something, but she was never very good at it anyway.

She cleaned the house top to bottom leaving not a speck of dust anywhere. She even reorganised hers and Araeya’s wardrobe, cleaning out old bits of gear that they hadn’t used in years. She picked up Araeya’s cloak that she wore when she first arrived at the Tower.

No. She wouldn’t get rid of that. _Just in case_

Kallori didn’t want to believe that Araeya would fail – that something bad would happen – but after everything, she couldn’t help it. She had convinced herself that Araeya had found herself rezzed in bad luck.

Since they discovered their love for one another, Kallori made a silent promise that she would never let anything happen to Araeya.

She had failed every time.

Not anymore.

“Kallori you’re making me dizzy,” Spark chirped from across the room. He was annoyed by Kallori’s frenzied movements and just wanted her to calm down. Not for her own good, but because she was pissing him off.

“No one asked you, Spark,” Kallori responded in a huff.

“What on earth would Yarus say to you if he saw you in this mess?” Spark touched a raw nerve on Kallori by bringing up Yarus like that. She stormed towards him and got right up in his eye.

“Don’t you fucking dare bring up Yarus like that, you bastard,” she said through gritted teeth.

Kallori and Yarus hadn’t been on good terms since the issue on the Cabal base. After he accused her of becoming soft, they hadn’t gotten on with each other. A part of that was down to Kallori holding an unnecessary grudge, but the other part of that was Yarus refusing to take it back.

He said it and he meant it. It was about the only thing he ever stood firm about, which, as a Titan, Kallori expected him to stand firm about a lot more.

Spark eyed Kallori very carefully as she glared dead into his light.

“I haven’t heard from her in hours…”

“Pull it together, Warlock. She doesn’t need you at her every beck and call.”

This put it into perspective for Kallori.

Maybe she had been awfully clingy lately. Her feelings for Araeya were strong – stronger than she had ever anticipated. She knew they were there all along, but ever since their first kiss in the EDZ as she was being arrested, something inside her ignited and she vowed to protect this Hunter with everything she could give.

She slowly sat down on the sofa, unsure of what to do with herself. She kept tapping her foot on the floor and twiddling her thumbs. This made Spark angrier.

“For the love of the Traveler, Kallori, pack it in!”

“No, you know what Spark? I won’t. I’m fucking tired of you telling me what to do. You’re supposed to have my back, not completely batter me for something I have every damn right to worry about…” her voice trailed off. She didn’t have the energy to argue with her Ghost every day, less so today.

“Knock, knock?” Skivay peered around their front door despite not being expected.

“Skiv? Is everything okay?” Kallori stood up and begun panicking. Skivay removed her helmet and told Kallori to sit down again, closing the door behind her.

Cynder floated over to Spark and occupied him in their Ghost room.

Skivay knelt in front of Kallori and placed her hands on Kallori’s knees.

“Araeya asked me to check on you. Apparently, you weren’t in a good state this morning…”

Kallori looked up, surprised. “You’ve heard from her? So, she’s still okay?”

Skivay nodded. “Yes. It doesn’t sound like a good situation out there, but they have it under control for now.”

Kallori pondered what Skivay had said, carefully, and was at ease knowing Araeya was still okay. That ease didn’t last long, mind, for she began questioning why she contacted Skivay over her.

“Did she say why she contacted you?”

“Yeah, she just wanted me to check on you…”

Kallori wasn’t happy with that answer. She frowned at Skivay.

“But she didn’t try to talk to me? Surely she would tell _me_ that she’s okay?”

Skivay had backed herself into a corner. “I don’t know, Kallori. Maybe she just…there was a lot of background noise – it sounded chaotic. I guess she just didn’t want you to worry…” she knew that it wasn’t going to help.

Kallori got up so fast that Skivay fell backwards onto the floor. Kallori didn’t resemble her usual combustive self. Instead, she looked as though she was about to burst into tears.

“No. She didn’t want me to know she was in danger because god forbid, I should tell her ‘I told you so.’ She fucking knew I was right to argue against her going but she ignored me…” Kallori was trying so hard not to let her voice break as she battled her inner demons, trying to prevent rage.

She paused. Skivay and Kallori were frozen as they stared at each other, Skivay desperately tried to anticipate Kallori’s next move.

“I have to go. I have to help her,” Kallori finally said, concerningly calm.

Skivay scrambled to get off the floor. “No, no, no, no. You don’t want to do that. You want to be here for when she comes back because she _will_.” She placed both her hands on Kallori’s shoulders and pushed into her to try and sit her down.

The Warlock was stronger than she anticipated.

After shoving her aside, Kallori grabbed her helmet from the table next to the door and called Spark out from the Ghost room.

“Spark get out here, we’re going to the Reef.” She turned to Skivay. “You can’t stop me feeling this way. If she were to return here in one piece, it will only be physically. Who knows what would have happened to her in the meantime?”

Skivay stood down. Kallori was a scary Warlock to argue with and she wasn’t about to turn violent towards her as she knew she would lose.

“There’s…nothing I can do to stop you, is there?” she asked quietly.

“No. But there is something you can do _here_ ,” Kallori suggested. Skivay looked up at her. “Sit here and watch the house just in case Araeya overlaps and comes home? Alert me the _second_ she walks through that door.”

“Sure,” Skivay agreed without hesitation. “Just…just don’t do anything you might regret. Don’t _say_ anything you might regret, either…”

Kallori didn’t say anything, but instead gave a single, curt nod and closed the door behind her and made headway towards the Hangar where she wouldn’t wait for Amanda to give her the all-clear.

Skivay sat on their sofa with her head in her hands as Cynder appeared before her.

“It didn’t work then, Ms Skivay?” he asked politely.

“No. Araeya is going to kill me if she finds out.”

“You’d best have your story straight. Do not lie to her…”

Skivay let out a heavy sigh. “I should have just stayed at home. I didn’t anticipate Kallori would be so edgy or I wouldn’t have bothered…”

Earlier that day, Cynder and Skivay had agreed to try and keep Kallori at bay as they had both anticipated she would be nervous while Araeya was out and so they made up the story that Araeya had asked them to check on Kallori.

What they failed to account for was Kallori’s attachment to Araeya and she’d grown suspicious of Skivay’s task, believing Araeya was actually in trouble.

_How did it go so wrong so fast…?_

Skivay just sat and hoped that everything _was_ alright, and they would both make it home and could forget about all this nonsense.

She couldn’t help but feel like Kallori was overreacting and she felt stupid for trying to make her feel otherwise.

Meanwhile, at the Reef, Kallori had arrived at a mess.


	6. Back to Square One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A million questions couldn't be answered for a Guardian on a mission so ill-fated and a million questions could never be asked for a Guardian with such experience in the world - a mentor. The Lightless, the innocent, the Wrath and the two that tried to stop it would never fathom what could happen, nor could they fathom what would come of it

Araeya knelt on the floor in shock.

She was hurt.

She was very hurt.

She was so hurt that she couldn’t cry. She couldn’t feel anything.

_Did this happen because of me? Did I cause this?_

Petra had arrived only seconds behind her to see the mess she was in – the mess before her. She, too, was breathless in shock.

Araeya wanted to do something, but nothing felt right.

She wanted to hold him. To hold Cayde. But she wanted him to rest. To rest well. To rest as he deserved.

Petra wanted to say something to Araeya to comfort her, but she was as much at a loss for words as Araeya was.

The silence hung in the air like thick fog, only this fog was poisonous. They choked on their own fear. They choked on their own words.

Araeya laid a hand over the hole in Cayde’s chest. It was still warm from the bullet – the bullet of his own gun. The bullet of his own gun fired by whom shouldn’t even lay his eyes on it.

Upon arriving at Cayde and seeing him fighting for his life on the floor, she saw Uldren Sov get away with his eight Barons, Pirrha being the one who ended Cayde’s life before he could get back up and fight.

Sundance… She was in a thousand pieces on the floor. Araeya felt Cayde’s Light rush through her the moment Sundance was shot and the dread set in. It set in like stone.

_Is this my fault? Was I too slow? Was I…? Was I too late?_

Petra walked over to Cayde’s lifeless body. She did not kneel. Instead she stood above him and looked into his eyes as they reflected the dim light of the Prison and not their usual excited glow.

A part of her expected Cayde to jump up and chortle like it was all a joke. A part of her _wanted_ Cayde to jump up in laughter. The silence in his presence felt wrong. He _always_ had something to say, no matter the mood.

Except this time. He could have had a thousand things to say – a million jokes – and no one would ever know what they were.

Kallori stood a few metres in front of the door and watched in horror as Araeya looked over Cayde’s body.

_Oh Araeya…_

She knew something felt wrong about this mission. She knew something would happen.

She wanted to say something, but nothing she thought of felt…right. She couldn’t think of anything to say that would change the situation. She didn’t want to try and make anyone feel better, but she couldn’t state the obvious. Nothing would help.

Kallori slowly walked towards where Araeya knelt and placed a hand on her shoulder and gripped it tightly. She turned around to face Kallori.

Araeya’s eyes flooded.

Kallori knelt down next to her and took both of her shoulders and, without warning, Araeya clung to Kallori’s waist so tightly – so desperately. She buried her head in her arms and sobbed.

She clutched the Hunter securely as she wailed in despair.

“I knew this was going to end in tears… I just…didn’t know whose tears they would be…” she whispered, burying her head into Araeya’s shoulders.

They held each other as Araeya bawled, crying her heart out at the loss of someone, not just important, but someone close. Someone who had been with her through everything and helped at every opportunity.

_How do I tell the Vanguard? How do I tell them that I was too slow to stop a murder? That I was too slow to stop Uldren?_

Petra went to pick Cayde up and Araeya jumped out of Kallori’s arms to stop her.

“Don’t,” she said abruptly. “I need to do it…” Araeya slowly dug her hands underneath the body to lift him and cradled him in her arms almost as he had done in the battle against Valus Ja’aun. She will always remember him for defying the Vanguard and coming for her like that. Always.

As she stood up, Petra held Cayde’s head.

“You were always so foolish. So cocky. So…my best friend. I never got to thank you for your help. I hope you told Uldren what you thought of him…” she turned to Araeya and Kallori. “See that he gets a proper send off. Even if the Vanguard won’t,” she said sternly.

Araeya nodded and looked at the lifeless Exo in her arms, her lip still quivering, her knees weak and her voice still wavering.

“Twink I need you to fly my ship back. I’ll take Cayde’s.”

Kallori held Araeya all the way back through the escape route of the Prison, Petra watching on from where she stood, as she carried Cayde to their ships and back to the Hangar.

_How do I tell them?_

“I’m calling it in, now,” Kallori said, ensuring Araeya was safe to fly back. “I’ll run ahead and let everyone know…”

The journey was silent to the Tower. No one said a word. No one _wanted_ to.

It wasn’t until they arrived at the Hangar greeted by Zavala and Ikora did anyone say anything.

Ikora slowly walked to the landing decks in shock as Araeya carried the Hunter Vanguard dead in her arms and the entire Hangar fell to a standstill, Zavala’s expression blank.

Skivay had rushed down the Hangar steps just in time to see it all unfold and she caught sight of Araeya’s face as she handed the body over to Zavala. She took her helmet off in respect.

“I’m…sorry,” she whispered, her voice broken. Zavala never said a word and Ikora patted Araeya’s shoulder to comfort her for it was all she could offer as they carried Cayde off to the Vanguard room.

Skivay ran over to Araeya and squeezed her in her usual Titan way and Araeya squeezed back, her head in Skivay’s shoulders.

“He’s gone, Skiv… He’s really…gone…” she bawled.

Skivay looked up at Kallori stood behind them, their expressions empty as they stared at each other, unsure of what either of them should say.

Kallori was right – something _was_ going to happen. Skivay was right – Araeya _could_ handle herself. Araeya was right – she _would_ make it home.

But none of them could have even begun to fathom the detriment they failed to miss.


	7. Nowhere to Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Araeya meets with Zavala and Ikora over Cayde's body, but it's as though she is alone in the room and the person who went in was not the same person who came back out. Something just snaps. Broken things are not so simple to fix

In the Vanguard room, Araeya was called forward to meet with Zavala and Ikora to discuss ‘the matter.’

_The matter…_

They couldn’t even say it.

The room was dark, the only light being the lamp at the side of the table where Cayde lay, lifeless and covered by a single sheet. _The_ sheet. The one with the class shield. The one they only use in official memorials…

It didn’t feel real until now. It hadn’t truly hit Araeya until she saw that the person she called a mentor was but a shell on a table. Even as she carried his body home, she half-expected Cayde to just jump out of her arms and onto his feet and crack a witty joke about it being his plan all along to trick the ‘peacock’ into thinking he’d won.

But then she remembered the glint in Petra’s eye. Even if Cayde had come up with such a plan spontaneously, she would have been able to detect any trickery lying underneath the hood. But she didn’t and that cemented it for Araeya.

Any emotion she felt before now, was gone. She was empty. Hollow. Disbelief filled the room and there was nothing she could do to change it.

Ikora was stood in front of the table, breathlessly looking over Cayde’s body. She emanated the strongest feeling of disbelief. She would never say it aloud, but Cayde was a _friend_ to her and now he was gone. The one thing that she deemed to be stable in her life was all but whole and she was back to nothing once more.

Zavala stood in the corner of the room, solemn and silent. He couldn’t even look at the table. He couldn’t look at Araeya, nor Ikora. Instead, he stood with his arms folded, looking at nothing, but Araeya could see the lonesome blue glow in his eyes – dim and weak.

Araeya was sure that Ikora was saying something, but she couldn’t hear what it was – she was deafened by her own thoughts. She noticed their mouths moving, but no sound came out. It was as though she was underwater, drowning in her inner voices that split her emotions cleanly between guilt and sorrow.

How _was_ she supposed to feel? She had just lost one of few things that kept her head on straight. Cayde was more than the Hunter Vanguard – he was a friend, a mentor, a part of her… A part of a whole. Without him, the biggest chunk of who she was as a Guardian and a person was missing.

Her inner voices demanded her attention, pulling her mind every which way, even after Zavala had moved from his steady position, ignoring everything that Ikora had said.

They demanded to know why she didn’t save him. They demanded to know why she didn’t act faster. They demanded to know why she let him out of her sight.

After a few minutes, the voices seemed to emanate from Zavala and Ikora as if they were the ones demanding to know why she was the one who lost the Hunter Vanguard for all Hunter Guardians. She didn’t know what to think or how to feel. She was afraid of their accusations.

She was as empty as the shell of her Exo mentor.

Araeya saw as Zavala’s hand brushed across the cloth over Cayde’s body and something snapped inside her. She jolted as if stabbed and the water drowning her mind cleared, the fog before her eyes lifted and she became breathless as she heard Zavala utter one statement that changed her entire mentality:

_“I refuse to bury any more friends.”_

She looked between Ikora and Zavala as they loomed over the table, their faces long and solemn. She had never seen Zavala so passive. To her, he had always stood as the wall that defends the Guardians, however stubborn and irritating he was, and to see his guard so low and his stance reduced meant all too much. It showed her that she needed to make this right, somehow.

As Zavala shut down Ikora’s plan of revenge, Araeya knew, then, that it was up to her to act out on both her own and Ikora’s wishes, even if it meant defying the Vanguard Commander, yet again. She knew that, despite his righteousness and defense against the revenge, he needed to see it happen.

Attacking the Reef by revoking it of its Awoken Prince would undoubtedly bring consequences, but back before the Golden Age, the saying went: _an eye for an eye_

Cayde was the eye that was taken from them. It was time an eye was taken in return – Uldren. Araeya had never been so sure of anything in her life, no matter how valid Zavala’s stance was.

It was worth defying him one more time in the name of justice.

“Uldren Sov is mine,” Araeya announced without being prompted for a response.

Ikora and Zavala turned to her, both stunned by the confidence in her voice as she stood up straight. Twink materialised next to her to look at her funny, cocking his head as if to see if to examine her closely, checking to see if she was all there.

Araeya stood unmoved for a moment as the Vanguard stared at her, but when neither of them said a word, she took it as her cue to leave and she walked out the room and back to the main courtyard where Kallori had been waiting the entire time. She walked straight past without even so much as looking at her.

Kallori was stumped. The Hunter that came out wasn’t the same Hunter that went in. She ran to meet Araeya’s pace.

“Hey, now!” she said as she ran in front to halt the Hunter. “Slow down! What happened in there?”

Araeya looked at Kallori, her face blank. “Only the realisation of a reckoning.” She replied and then brushed Kallori aside to continue walking, putting her hood up.

“Okay, okay, so what now?” she asked, running to catch up again.

“An eye for an eye.”

Kallori stopped again, astounded by Araeya’s response as it resounded through her head. She stared at the Hunter as she continued blindly storming through the crowds at the base of the Tower entrance.

“That had better not mean what I think it does!” Kallori yelled. She was wasting her breath. Of course she knew that’s what it meant, but it also meant that Araeya was likely to go the way of Cayde if she wasn’t careful and she couldn’t let that happen. She would not go through what Araeya just went through just for the sake of a revenge spree.

She didn’t run after Araeya. She knew she was going home and so she knew she had time to think of a way to talk her out of her hollow mindset.

Skivay walked up behind Kallori and placed her hand on her shoulder and Kallori lowered her head.

“I’ve not lost her, yet,” she whispered, turning to Skivay. “I’m not about to, either.”


	8. Nowhere to Hide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kallori watches as Araeya's walls begin to crumble. She wasn't about to see Light as bright as hers dissipate, but with the weight of guilt as powerful as it is, she would find it difficult to wade through the thorns and reach the rose to stop it wilting

Back at the house, the mood was dismal.

Araeya was flustered as she was running ragged trying to fixate her mind on killing the man who took her mentor and friend from her, desperately trying to ready herself for what’s to come.

Kallori watched from the front door as Araeya wore herself out, running up and down the house, unsure of where to be. She had never seen Araeya get so antsy before and this made her realise that, after everything the pair of them had gone through, Cayde was always the one who set their minds straight. Araeya no longer had that safety net – she was on her own with her own mind.

“Ari, can we talk about this for a moment?”

Araeya didn’t respond.

“Please? Just sit down for a minute and talk this through with me? I need to know what you’re thinking – I can help!”

Still Araeya ignored the Warlock and continued to wear herself out.

Kallori was running out of options short of pinning the Hunter down and knocking her out, just so that she would stop. “Araeya! Will you just stop and listen to me?!” she grabbed her by the shoulders with both hands and gripped them tightly, shaking her. Upon looking at Araeya’s face, Kallori realised that it would take more than sitting down and talking about it to see her perspective – her face was blank as if her mind were empty and she wasn’t there. The golden glow of her eyes was gone, and any cognitive thoughts had gone with the wind.

Kallori sighed and loosened her grip. She stroked her face with the back of her hand. She was cold to the touch. “Come back to me, Ari,” she whispered, her voice breaking for the first time in years. “We can pull through this.”

Araeya slowly moved her gaze up to match Kallori’s and it was as if the lights had come on inside her head. Her eyes quickly flooded again.

“I-I… I feel…nothing,” she said faintly, lowering her head. Kallori pulled her into her chest and squeezed, absorbing the tears streaming down Araeya’s face and feeling her body quake beneath her arms. Araeya did not reciprocate the hug. She was but a doll in the Warlock’s arms, but she appreciated the gesture.

“Can we sit down and talk it through, now,” Kallori asked, adjusting Araeya so that she stood completely in front of her.

Araeya looked up. Her eyes had stopped glowing again. “My mind is made up,” she said plainly. Kallori sighed.

“Maybe it is, but revenge isn’t the answer. I just want you to see that this is a road you shouldn’t go down. It is a dark path, Ari, and I don’t want to see you get to the end and not find your way back. It isn’t worth it…”

Araeya’s face changed – her eyes became sharp and her aura became angry. She looked directly into Kallori’s eyes and she became very nervous. “Don’t you dare try to tell me what is worth it and what isn’t,” she said, her jaw clenched.

With that development, Kallori let go of Araeya and stood back. She had never seen her quite so tense before and she needed to start walking on eggshells if she was going to work her way back to her before she did something she was going to regret.

She walked over to the sofa and patted the seat next to her, beckoning Araeya to sit, but she remained stood in the middle of the room simply looking at the Warlock as she worried for the safety of them both.

“Please, Ari. Let me in. Tell me what you’re thinking, and I can help…”

Araeya’s stance tensed and she stood like a wall, both mentally and physically. Kallori could see that she wasn’t herself – this wasn’t how she would normally react.

“I’m going to kill him,” Araeya affirmed.

“Uldren? No, you can’t. You won’t.”

“You’re going to try and stop me?”

“If that’s what it takes for you to see that this is wrong, then so be it. I shall.” Kallori stood up to try and intimidate Araeya, but after all their time together, there wasn’t a lot about her that intimidated her anymore.

“If this is wrong, then I don’t want to be right. He took Cayde from me, Kallori!” Araeya clenched her fists and raised her voice, but Kallori was not backing down.

“Two wrongs don’t make a right, Araeya. You of all people should know that! _You_ taught me that!”

“Because you’re so perfect…” Araeya said sarcastically without missing a beat, eyeing Kallori carefully. Kallori was very taken aback by such a response and wasn’t sure how to react.

“This isn’t about me… It’s about how you’re about to commit to something you can’t just come back from. This isn’t something you can just walk away from and forget about. You are about to take someone’s life just because you’re a bit angry-”

“A bit angry?! Kallori, he killed Cayde, and for what? Nothing!”

Kallori’s frustration grew and her reactions were becoming less and less thought-through as she desperately tried to get Araeya to see that she was about to do something dangerous. In the end, it would be what let her down.

“Cayde knew what he was getting into when he dragged your sorry ass in with him. It’s his own reckless fault-”

Kallori knew only a split second too late that what she had said was wrong. It just slipped out and before she knew it, Araeya had slipped further away.

“Ari, I-”

“No, you’ve made it pretty fucking clear,” she whispered.

“I just wanted you to see that you don’t have to do this. I don’t _want_ you to do this and I want you to see that it isn’t worth what is to come of it. None of this is worth it.”

Araeya’s glare grew sharper as she slowly walked towards Kallori until she was but inches from her face. Kallori tried her best not to feel nervous around the Hunter’s newfound new anger.

“Are you saying Cayde wasn’t worth it? Even after everything he did for us – for _you_? It was his idea to break you out of prison, which is why you stand here, now. It was him that saved you from the wrath of the Vanguard, which is why you stand here, now. It was him that came to help you get me back when everyone else said they wouldn’t help, which is why we both stand here, now, and you want to tell me that he wasn’t worth it?” Araeya’s voice was eerily calm and collected and her stance strong as she maintained total eye contact with Kallori, pointing out the single flaw in Kallori’s reasoning.

To Araeya’s surprise, Kallori was ready for it.

“I’m saying that no-one is worth going down a path of revenge. I wouldn’t even want you doing it if it were Skivay or myself that you were avenging. It’s a path that, once you go down, you can’t come back from and I don’t want to see that happen to you.”

Araeya scoffed. “I’d hate you if you didn’t avenge me…”

Kallori had no response. The Hunter’s mind was too clouded for her to see sense and she simply had to respect that before they both said something they’d later regret. Kallori knew that, once Araeya had done what she wanted to, she’d see the mistakes. She only wished that she’d see the mistakes before they happened.

Araeya was done. She turned and made headway towards the front door. Kallori had every intention of just letting her realise her own mistakes in her own time – hopefully sooner rather than later – and she would just be there for her when she did. But something inside kept nagging at her, telling her that Araeya wouldn’t be okay. It was the same nagging feeling she had when Araeya returned home with the news that Cayde would take her on a mission.

With no further hesitation, Kallori lunged for Araeya, wrapping her arms around her chest, restraining her. Araeya immediately began fighting Kallori’s grasp, struggling underneath her arms.

“I can’t let you go, Araeya. I just can’t…”

Araeya grunted and strained as hard as she could, but the Warlock was simply too strong, and she let out an exasperated scream in frustration and both Guardians collapsed on the floor in tears. Kallori squeezed the Hunter and buried her head in the back of her shoulders as she sobbed while Araeya gripped Kallori’s wrists, still half-fighting their clutches, but she was too weak to contest.

That night, Araeya had believed she had gotten away with it when she snuck out of the house while Kallori slept, however she was not so lucky.

With Kallori being as paranoid as she was about losing her to the dark, Spark had noticed Twink sneak out of their Ghost room the second he opened his eye and alerted Kallori immediately. Kallori called ahead to Skivay who was already Reefside on a scout for Zavala who wanted to know of any dangerous movement in and out.

She wasn’t going to give up so easily.


	9. Everywhere is Dark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Araeya makes her getaway only to run into Skivay scouting the Reef - someone who shares Kallori's feelings on her pursuit - only this time, Araeya was ready.

Araeya was already at the Reef by the time Kallori had reported her acts to Zavala and Ikora and their reactions were not as she had hoped.

Zavala was so passive despite knowing of what the consequences would be if she were allowed to continue and Ikora welcomed Araeya’s response to Cayde’s death for she would have done it herself if no-one else would.

Exasperated, Kallori gave up and awaited news from Skivay in the Reef.

She wouldn’t have to wait long because Skivay had already caught wind of Twink’s Ghost signature after Cynder announced an incoming Guardian ship as part of their role in watching the landing zone. Her job was to remain undercover and take note of any and all traffic passing through the LZ and report her findings to Zavala at the end of the week for him to analyse what kind of movement goes on amongst the asteroid rubble.

She didn’t wait one minute before ambushing Araeya as she got out from her ship, jumping out from behind a rock on the High Plains and startling Twink into dematerialising.

“Woah, now!” she announced, holding one hand up to halt the Hunter. “What are _you_ doing here?”

_Damn_

“Oh, I forgot you were on scouting duty out here,” Araeya said, face-palming.

“Hiding something?” Skivay asked, suspiciously, despite knowing full well what Araeya was up to.

“Nope,” Araeya began without missing a beat. “Just here for some resources.”

Skivay narrowed her eyes. “The Vanguard don’t condone resource farming out here, you know…”

This stumped Araeya. Already, even if Skivay didn’t know about her escapade, she would be reported as suspicious activity Reefside.

“Araeya, I know why you’re here. Kallori told me about your…disagreement, last night. I just happen to be in the right place at the right time. I’m the last wall. You are not going on a revenge spree – it’s not right. You should know this.”

Araeya sighed. She had no chance of escaping this. At the end of it all, her only defence would be Ikora because she said so herself back in the Vanguard room that the Guardians should wage war on the Reef. But, even then, it wouldn’t exactly get her very far.

“I’m not going to have this conversation again. I know what I’m doing, and I’m prepared to do it, whatever it takes.”

“There’s really nothing that I can say to stop you?”

“Not if you want to save your breath.”

“If losing my breath means saving your own then I will gladly have this conversation,” Skivay asserted.

“So, you’re saying that you’d avenge me if I died the way Cayde did?”

Skivay wasn’t sure how to answer. She had always asserted to all of her friends that she would stand up for them and help them, whatever situation they were in, but she had never been posed the question of whether she would avenge them in death. She had only considered helping them alive because she would hope that she was enough help to _keep_ them alive.

The silence had told Araeya all she needed to know. “You and Kallori both need to have a good look at yourselves in the mirror and check your priorities. Both of you will rather simply mourn me if I die, but not seek justice?”

“Ari-”

“Don’t ‘Ari’ me.”

“Araeya… This life as Guardians… We face the risk of dying every single day and, sometimes, there’s nothing that our Ghosts can do about it. We have just seen it with Cayde and Sundance. If we were to go on a revenge spree every time a Guardian died their final death to an enemy, there’d be no-one left to stand for what is right.”

Araeya huffed. “No. This isn’t about just a revenge spree. The Reef Prince killed the Hunter Vanguard. This isn’t just a Vandal who shot a kinderGuardian. This isn’t us mounting war against the Cabal because their rogue commander bombarded the Tower. This is about the fact that our leader was taken from us by a leader who should have known better. He had no right, no reason and now he doesn’t have a leg to stand on – or certainly won’t by the time I’m done with him.” She turned and begun pacing around the Titan.

Skivay grabbed Araeya’s wrist to stop her in her tracks. “This isn’t you. You and I both know that your head isn’t in the right place right now. If you go in lost in your own mind, you’ll never come out the other side.”

“So I’ve been told…”

“But it’s true! Araeya, you are the best of us, and I won’t stand by and watch you fall…”

“You mean like everyone stood by and watched Cayde fall?”

Skivay had never lost her temper before. She had always been able to keep herself cool and composed, but Araeya was trying her patience – testing her as hard as she could.

“Araeya, get your head out of the fog and back into reality – Cayde knew what he was getting into. He knew the risks. He knew the consequences. What you are doing is going down a dark path. You can’t see the end until it’s too late and then the path back to the surface is too dark to find your way back. You’ll be stuck down there. I’m simply trying to help pull you away before I can’t reach you.”

Araeya shook Skivay off her and shook her head. “You can’t stop me. I need this.” She stormed off before Skivay could say another word. She could have gone after her, but Araeya made a point – she needed it. It was her way of clearing her head.

Skivay only hoped that it would clear her head before she strayed too far from the light.

She called back to Kallori. “She’s lost, Kal.”

“I’m not getting her back, am I?”

“…not yet. She needs to find her own way back…”

Kallori didn’t say a word after that. Neither of them could think of anything to say. They simply had to sit and wait for Araeya to come to terms with things in her own way and in her own time. Whether her own time was quick enough was a matter that they could only dread.

It hurt them to see the best of them all crumble by the weight of the dark, but if any of them could handle themselves, it was Araeya. They trusted her with everything they could give. They just needed to do it one more time and believe that she would come out the other side the same as she went in – strong and willful, righteous and fearless.


	10. Wrong is Right

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Araeya's presence was unexpected back home and hope was once again reinstated in Kallori - she finally had another shot at breaking down her walls and getting her to stop her ill-fated crusade. If only it were that simple...

Two days went by and neither Kallori nor Skivay had heard from Araeya. They had heard only reports of Scorned Baron bodies being dropped all over the Shore. So far, four names had been thrown about; Yaviks the Rider, Kaniks the Mad Bomber, Reksis Vahn the Hangman and Hiraks the Mindbender – all dead to a single Guardian with the help of Petra Venj and the Spider. No-one knew who the Spider was. Just that he was in control of the Tangled Shore and also wanted the Barons out of the picture.

Kallori couldn’t believe that Araeya would stoop as low as to work with a syndicate like that. If anything, she would have expected herself, of all people, to become so dark. But to lose someone so bright? It didn’t sit right with her.

She hadn’t turned up for any duties since Araeya started her crusade. She stayed at home with a watchful eye on their front door, praying day in, day out that Araeya would walk through in one piece having realised the mistake she was about to make.

But, in those two days, hope dwindled into nothing and Kallori became tiresome. She stopped eating. She stopped sleeping, but if there was one thing she never stopped, it was worrying. Kallori wasn’t big on worrying, but where Araeya was concerned, she would become a nervous wreck as she would want to preserve as much of Araeya’s guiding Light as possible – even at the cost of her own.

It wasn’t until the sun set on the third day when word had spread of a fifth Baron downed – Araskes the Trickster – did Araeya show up unexpected at home.

Kallori stood up in shock as she saw Araeya lay down her weapons and take off her helmet, covered in dirt and parts of her armour ripped and torn. Even her beloved cloak had been battered. They stared at each other for a while and Kallori could see that Araeya was gone. Her face was blank…empty. She just looked at Kallori completely gone out and emotionless.

“Ari? What happened?” Kallori asked as she walked towards Araeya, her arms outstretched looking to search her over.

“Nothing, yet,” Araeya responded bluntly, looking away. This made Kallori stop in her tracks.

“But… Araeya we know about the bodies you’ve dropped. These…Scorned Barons on the Reef-”

“I’m not done,” Araeya interrupted. “There’s still three more before I can get to Uldren…”

Kallori huffed. “Then what are you doing here? If there’s more blood to be spilt, then I suppose you’d better get on with it.”

“I need a shower and a change of armour.” Araeya didn’t even acknowledge Kallori’s sarcasm as she brushed past her and headed for the bathroom, dropping her helmet in the sink. She felt cold underneath Kallori’s touch and she didn’t know what to say or do to make her reconsider going back out.

Kallori opened the bathroom door ajar after Araeya had gone into the shower and she leant against the doorframe for a while, listening to the water.

Araeya had only been in the shower a couple of minutes before she began sniffling and Kallori knew, then, that it was not too late to save her. Araeya started crying to herself and, to Kallori, it was a sign of hope – she could still feel negative emotions towards what was going on. She could still _feel_.

The moment Araeya became numb to any emotions would be the day it was too late.

“Ari? Everything okay?” she whispered into the doorway only to be met with it being slammed in front of her. She sighed and proceeded to perch on the sofa until Araeya came out and went into their bedroom.

Kallori peered around the door and saw Araeya getting dressed on the edge of their bed and she walked over behind her and wrapped her arms around her chest and Araeya stopped dead.

“You don’t have to go back out there,” she whispered. She felt Araeya slump in her arms.

“I do. They know it’s me. I have a target on my back, now. I have to finish what I started.”

“Is there anything that I can do to change your mind?”

Araeya sighed. She knew deep down that what she was doing was wrong, but it felt so right. If killing Uldren was the wrong thing to do, then she wouldn’t want to be right. “No.”

After her response sunk into Kallori, something inside her snapped. She turned to look at her, fire in her eyes. She was ready to exact vengeance – second wind, reborn and ready for more. She hastily brushed Kallori off her and continued to put the rest of her armour on.

“Hey, hey, slow down. I want one more chance to show you that you can stop this before it gets too late,” Kallori said as she watched Araeya run around the room, gathering her supplies.

“I really don’t want to have this argument, again, Kal. I just want to get back out there, get the job done and feel the pain ease away.”

Just as Araeya began to walk out the door, Kallori called back to her. “I’m not done.”

Araeya sighed and dropped her backpack, turning to look Kallori dead in the eyes once more, to see how much she truly meant it.

After a few tense minutes, Araeya pinched Kallori’s chin and pulled her close for a kiss goodbye. To Kallori’s surprise, Araeya stopped a hair’s breadth away and she felt her breath against her own as she sighed emptily.

“Neither am I.” Her whisper was filled with fire and Kallori’s stomach flipped in anxiousness as she stole the kiss from her anyway and marched back out the door, leaving Kallori breathless against the wind once more.


	11. Walking Down the Dark Path

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After downing over half the Baron forces, Araeya and Petra meet with the Spider for some more information, but he doesn't take kindly to Araeya's newfound anger. Instead, he plays with it

Back out on the Tangled Shore, Araeya was geared up and ready for Spider’s next tip. Petra was also present, stood broodily in the shadows of Spider’s Safehouse. He was their point of call when they needed news or information on the Shore as nothing got past the Spider and information was his currency.

The Vanguard would never condone such acts of negotiation, but it was better than nothing – it was the difference between finding and killing Uldren and letting him get away with his murderous ambitions.

“Tell me where the next target is,” Araeya demanded. Spider looked between the Hunter and the Queenless Queen’s Wrath.

“So eager!” the Spider laughed. “All good things to those who wait…”

Araeya looked at Petra and she could see the fire in her eyes – a wildfire, burning through every inch of innocence left inside the Hunter. She frowned.

“Araeya, no news is good news for us. It gives us time to plan our attacks more thoroughly – to prevent any more…accidents.”

Araeya scowled at Petra, making her uneasy. “You’re referring to the ‘accident’ that got us in this mess in the first place? Or the ‘accident’ that caused us to be in a worse position?” she folded her arms.

“I explained it to you, already. Uldren is not alone. Someone _had_ to have tipped him off that I was there-”

“But if you weren’t there in the first place and let me handle things as I said, he could be buried by now,” Araeya interrupted. With this, Petra stepped forwards toward her and tried to get real with her, but she didn’t account for the fact that Araeya had already undergone similar discussions three times in the past week and her mind still was set.

“Araeya, please. This isn’t something you should risk your reputation for.”

“Don’t ‘Araeya, please’ me. Every second we sit here, dealing with this monster and twiddling our thumbs is an extra second for the Barons and Uldren to reconvene and scarper. I won’t have this. They’ll get what’s coming to them and I’ll make sure of it.”

Spider chuckled to himself as he watched the two Awoken ladies argue it out. “Ladies! I am a grand fan of fights and I do enjoy it when they get physical, but this is not one I wish to observe. You will get your information the second I do, but do not tear out each other’s throats about it!”

Araeya was not impressed by the Spider. She was angered by his intimidating patience and she turned to him to look him in all four of his beady eyes and pointed her finger in his face, almost hissing as she spoke. “Do _not_ tell me what I can and can’t do – either of you. I will have my revenge. Whether you help me or not is entirely up to you, but just know that I will be doing it with or without your help, understand?”

The Spider narrowed his eyes, but he did not stray away from Araeya’s glare and her glare stayed strong. He saw strength, ire…desperation. He could tell that this Guardian was not familiar with feeling these emotions, nor was she used to feeling the desire for vengeance.

He smiled.

“Quite the feisty one, huh?” he let out a short, sharp laugh. “I like you. I think you and I will get on just fine.” He leaned forward until he was inches from Araeya’s face, and she could feel his hot breath escaping through his rebreather, hearing his mandibles clicking together.

Araeya backed down and turned her back on the Spider and repurposed her shotgun, loading it maliciously, one shotgun shell at a time and Spider linked his fingers together in anticipation. Petra folded her arms.

She turned to look over her shoulder. “I’ll be out on patrol if anything goes down,” she said bluntly before running down the corridors and out of Spider’s Safehouse.

Spider turned to the Queen’s Wrath. “She’s a special one…” he said, thoughtfully.

Petra shook her head. “I’m worried for her…”

“How so?”

“This one is more special than you could ever know-”

“I think I know”

“…anyway. My point is that she is falling, and I don’t want to be there when she pulls the trigger. I don’t want to watch that final plummet to darkness. That’s not for her. I am past the stage of righteousness, but she is not. I want to save that part of her.”

“Contrarily,” Spider began in a more lightened tone, shifting his position. “You can be there and make sure that she doesn’t cross that line alone. There is no doubt about it, Petra, she _will_ cross that line, and there is nothing you can do to stop it – not if you value your life.” He sighed. “When all is said and done, there is still a certain _place_ that you can take her once all is over.”

Petra unfolded her arms and looked at Spider to see how serious he was. “We’re not ready for that…”

“Well, you’d better get ready because I’m not willing to lose business because there’s a rogue Guardian terrorising my Shores – especially a Guardian of this stature.” Spider sat back in his chair and closed his outer eyes, his innermost eyes staring at Petra, making her uneasy.

“I’m going out to see if I can usher in some news.”

“Don’t stray too far,” the Spider croaked as Petra strode down the corridor.

She liked what the Spider could give to help them with hunting the Crow, but she hated dealing with him in person otherwise. She found him disturbing and thought that his attitude stank. Who was he to suggest she should open the Dreaming City to the Guardians? That would bring all kinds of unwanted attention to the Awoken – attention better off not receiving.

They spent so long keeping secrets from the rest of the world that relieving them just for one outsider would put everything they’ve ever built at risk. Petra wasn’t sure she was prepared to do that, just yet.


	12. We've Come a Long Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While they wait for the next run of intel from Petra, Araeya and Twink sit on the rocks of the Reef, but Twink spots something in Araeya that unnerves him and he decides to overstep his mark and question what was going on in her head

Araeya sat slumped against the rocks on a nearby piece of debris hovering above the LZ of the Tangled Shore and she looked at Twink, sat on her shoulder. He looked back at her with a worried glint in his eye.

She sighed. “Don’t look at me like that, Twink. I’ve seen enough of those looks this week to last me a lifetime.”

Twink closed his eye and inhaled deeply. He knew he was only supposed to watch out for his Guardian, but he couldn’t help just wanting to tell her what he thought. There was a list of things that Ghosts want to say to their Guardians but felt out of line trying to. Nonetheless, Twink would overstep his mark.

“I’m not comfortable with this, anymore…”

Araeya looked at him sharply. “You were on board with this only yesterday. What’s changed?”

“You. You have changed.”

Araeya rolled her eyes and sat forward. She was tired of people expecting her to be perfect all the time – especially when they never expected something like that from Kallori. “People change all the time, Twink. It shouldn’t be any different for me.”

“It’s not always _how_ they change, but more _what_ they change into. What we’re doing – _how_ we’re doing it – it’s a dark path and I don’t want to see you walk it.”

“I _want_ to do this. I _need_ to do this. When this is all over, all will be right with the world again.”

Twink turned to Araeya and floated closer to her face. “That’s a very closed outlook, Araeya…”

Araeya slumped back, exasperated. “Just let me do this.”

“I will help you, but only because I don’t want to argue with you. I don’t want to see you go it alone.”

“I’m not alone – I have you.” She let herself smile half an inch in Twink’s direction.

_No pressure…_

They looked out over the plains of the Shore, looking at the dynamic movement of all the outlaws and the world’s cretins and wondered how they found themselves in such a notorious place – how it had come to this.

They thought back to Araeya’s first days as a Guardian – how innocent she was and how unknown it was to them that she would be who she was today, done the things she had and achieved all she had – and pondered how far they’d come.

The Black Garden. The Dark Below. Wolves’ Uprising. The Taken War. The SIVA Crisis. The Red War. The Infinite Forest. The Warmind. None of it felt real. Araeya didn’t feel like she contributed to any of the City’s greatest feats, yet she was at the centre of all of them. She may not have been there to help during the Battle of Six Fronts, Twilight Gap, the Battle of Burning Lake or the Great Disaster, but she wanted to make her mark amongst the Guardians.

Out of everything that she had done, she felt avenging Cayde would be the one to top them all – that it’d be the one act that would turn people’s heads and make her enemies think twice for once in their pathetic lives.

She had come a long way from when she first arrived at the Tower as a kinderGuardian. She had done a lot, but she wanted to do more.

Kallori was worried that Araeya would lose her righteous head or her true honesty if she went out on a revenge spree, but little did she know that Araeya was tired of being the one to keep her head on straight. She was tired of being the one who always did good. She had built this reputation that she would never let anyone down and she was tired.

The pressure would build every day. Not a minute went by where she didn’t feel like she was being watched – judged – as though people were ready to pounce the second she put a foot wrong.

She wanted the space to just fall apart every once in a while.

Cayde’s murder allowed her just that and she would exploit it for everything it gave her, and she wasn’t going to allow anyone to stop her.

Hunting the Barons and the Crow… It made her feel alive. It gave her a rush of freedom – space to really let her fire roar, to burn everything in her path. She needed this and she needed it more than anyone would understand.

Even when Kallori’s fire would rage, it wouldn’t be the same as Araeya.

Araeya’s fire had progressed unchecked for decades. It had been allowed to simmer unnoticed for too long and she had contained it as best she could, but now, it was unstoppable. It had to be let out before it consumed her every part.

Araeya only wished that everyone could understand that anyone can fall every now and again, just so long as they can stand back up.

She closed her eyes and leant her head back against the rocks, Twink looking at her longingly. He prayed she would come out on the other side and ‘all would be right with the world again.’ But he knew better than that. He knew that, in a world of Guardians, the world was never that simple.

As Araeya sighed deeply, Twink got a ping from Petra.

“Pirrha the Rifleman. He’s been spotted in Sorik’s Cut.”

The two exchanged looks, Twink wearily looking into Araeya’s eyes. Her fire was truly raging – he could see it illuminating her golden glow.

“Araeya…”

Araeya got up without hesitation, ignoring anything that Twink was going to say, and jumped down the rocks and back onto the Shore mainland, making immediate headway for her next target. She hadn’t much longer to go, now.

She could feel it.

Word spread fast of The Rifleman’s fall and Kallori and Skivay knew about it within hours of the final blow. On one hand, they were relieved that Pirrha had fallen as they knew, then, that Araeya had done well, but on the other, they knew she wasn’t backing down.

They had both hoped that she would have seen sense by now and stopped her ill-fated revenge spree, but with only two Barons standing in the way between her and Uldren, they feared that her mind would become ever-clouded and it wouldn’t be long before she was blinded to the line between Light and Dark and she would cross it unknowingly with no return.


	13. We've Got a Long Way to Go

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skivay and Kallori go after Araeya when they find they're running out of time and the Hunter continues dropping bodies all over the Tangled Shore. With only Elykris left standing between her and Fikrul, Kallori tries one more thing to get her to stop and come home

24 hours had passed and there was no word from anyone about anything that was ongoing in the Tangled Shore. Skivay and Kallori had grown weary waiting for Araeya to return home and had decided to go after her.

Skivay had to get clearance from Zavala as he deemed the Shore off-limits until further notice all the while there was an ongoing revenge spree. Even he knew that this was unstoppable, but if anyone was going to get her to stand down, it would be the two Guardians she trusted the most. They had tried and failed many times, but perhaps catching her in the act would be enough to shock her into realising her mistakes.

It was all to play for at this stage.

Back on the Shore, Araeya had met with the Spider and Petra once more for information on the whereabouts of the Machinist and the Fanatic – the last remaining Barons on her hit list.

“My, my, my…” the Spider tutted to himself as he rubbed his lower hands together. “That is quite the job you have done, my dear…”

“Cut to it, bug. I want the rest of the information.” Araeya was tired of Spider pissing around and playing games with her. She wanted to get the job done. But Spider wasn’t having it.

“Goodness! Uldren really did a number on you to get so… vengeful…”

Araeya rolled her eyes. “Just tell me where Elykris is hiding.”

Spider looked over at Petra and narrowed his eyes. “Petra, control your Hunter.”

Petra shook her head and looked away. “This would be a whole lot easier if you just gave us everything we needed. This whole ‘I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine’ is becoming far more that it is worth.”

“Ah, but the payoff will be all the more beneficial for the both of us,” Spider added without missing a beat. He paused and look directly at Araeya who stood before him with her arms folded and scowling. “All good things to those who wait,” he teased.

Araeya scoffed. “I’ve just about had enough of your shit, this week, Spider. I’m not here for you or your Shore. I came here to exact revenge for someone who deserves avenging. _You’re_ in my way.”

Spider pondered this for a moment while Petra stood back in the shadows of his safehouse. With every word of anger that escaped her, Araeya’s light was fading, consumed by rage – her eyes dimmer than before.

After a moment of silence filled with tension, the Spider sat forward, almost as if he was going to get up, his eyes wide with the challenge.

“Araeya,” he began, intimidatingly. “You’re of course welcome to leave and find the Barons on your own! You don’t need me, after all – you’re what they call a Hunter – and I’m sure Petra will be a great help.” It didn’t take long before the tone set in and they could tell that the Spider was being threateningly sarcastic and wasn’t happy by Araeya’s challenge. He continued. “But remember; if you walk away from me now, you owe me and I will call in that favour whenever I deem appropriate and you shall be at my beck and call until I think your debt is paid.”

This made Araeya uneasy and she unfolded her arms.

“It’s nothing personal, Araeya. It’s just business.”

Just as Araeya was going to suggest to Petra, Arrha and Avrok had returned from their daily scout around the Shore with news of the Machinist tearing up Sorik’s Cut, scrounging for parts. This perked up the Hunter as she wasted no time in cocking her gun and running out of the safehouse, Petra shaking her head as she ran.

Araeya had barely summoned her sparrow before she bumped into two familiar faces in her way.

Skivay and Kallori were just about to go into the safehouse to try and reason with the Spider to get him to stop encouraging this revenge spree.

“Ari!” Kallori exclaimed gabbing her shoulder for it only to be shrugged off. Confused, she tried to catch Araeya’s eyeline, but she wasn’t having any of it. “We haven’t heard from you for a couple of days. We came to check on you.”

“No, you didn’t,” Araeya said harshly, barely letting Kallori finish her sentence. This took Kallori aback at the harshness of her response. She had never heard Araeya so hurt.

“Well, we did. We are worried about you, even if you don’t believe it,” Skivay added.

“You don’t need to be. I am fine.”

“You’re anything _but_ fine. You need to stop – this is tearing you apart from the inside and I don’t want to see you like this…” Kallori stepped forwards trying to get Araeya to look at her and see that she was concerned.

“Then leave.”

“What?”

“If you’re not here to help me, then leave.”

Araeya’s tone had gone from being plain and blunt to becoming angry and hateful – words never associated with her.

“Of course we’re here to help! We wouldn’t be here, otherwise,” Skivay said, attempting a hug. She was pushed away.

“Then join me. If we’re quick, we can catch the Machinist before it’s too late. She’s wreaking havoc in Sorik’s Cut.” Araeya beckoned the Guardians to follow her.

“No.” Kallori said, returning the hurt in her voice. “We’re here to help bring you out of this darkened hate, not help you pursue it.”

Araeya got off her sparrow and stepped towards Kallori, matching her intense gaze. Her stare was so intense that it unnerved Kallori, but not enough to make her back down.

“If that’s the case, then I don’t want to see you. You aren’t my friend. You’re in my way.” Araeya didn’t give anyone the chance to respond before jumping back on her sparrow and riding around the corner to Sorik’s Cut.

Kallori’s face never changed. She was hurt by Araeya’s words, but she knew that it wasn’t her that was speaking. It was the darkness inside of her – the hate, the rage, the hurt… The only thing that didn’t truly convince her was the fact that the rage had to have come from somewhere, as if it had been burrowed deep below for so long that this was more than just avenging Cayde. What if this was everything she’d ever felt angry or hurt by that was surfacing? That, once this was over, the anger would still linger – that this was her state of mind, now?

“It’s not over, yet,” Kallori announced. “We can bring her back, still. We just need to give it more time.”

“She hasn’t got a whole lot of time left. We’re cutting it too close, here.”

“We just need to be there when she meets the brink. She _cannot_ cross that line.”


	14. Fading

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Elykris out of the picture, it became clear to all that Araeya wasn't the same. She didn't fear anything for she was blinded by her rage. Ignorance is bliss when you can't see what's going on before your eyes

Araeya was so intoxicated with vengeance that she didn’t know when she struck the final blow on Elykris. She didn’t see her fall. She didn’t savour the moment. The only thing that she was concerned about was the fact that Elykris was the last obstacle in her path to finding Fikrul and Uldren, and she had finally eliminated her.

She wasted no time in calling it in to Petra who was anxiously awaiting news that Araeya was okay.

The truth was that Araeya was not okay. She was as far from okay as she could get. What she didn’t know was that she would never be okay, even after she had found the vengeance she sought. This path was a dead end and she couldn’t see it, no matter how many times people would warn her.

“Fikrul should come crawling out of the woodwork soon, with his right hand down for the count,” Petra said, trying to sound confident. She wasn’t so sure it was going to be that simple.

“I want to find him before then. The sooner I finish this, the happier I’ll be.”

Petra sighed. “Will you be happy?”

_Of course…_

_Maybe…_

“You are on board with this. You haven’t stopped me – you’ve been helping me…” Araeya was getting tired of people trying to tell her what she should and shouldn’t do. She just wanted people to see that Cayde meant that much to her that she would kill for him.

There was a brief moment when the Spider first began his speech on the Barons where Araeya questioned her position on the matter, but it was only when she remembered that she was the only person who would do something. Something needed to be done – they couldn’t remain thinking that killing the Hunter Vanguard would go unanswered. She felt she _had_ to do something – like it was her job.

“It would just so happen that I know where the Fikrul and Uldren are scheming,” the Spider said, rubbing his hands together, chuckling to himself.

Araeya was very impatient by this point. “Well don’t sit there beating about the bush – fucking tell me!”

Petra had never heard Araeya’s anger manifest itself into such a clear, colourful form and she could almost say for certain that neither of Araeya’s friends had, either.

She looked at the Spider as he sank in his chair. She saw the glint in his eyes as he looked to her, knowingly. “Don’t tell me he’s-”

“Yes, Petra Venj, my Queenless Queen’s Wrath. He is _there_ …”

“I knew something was wrong about his absences. He kept barking on about his sister – how she was talking to him and bleating about how we are all pawns in her greater plan – but I never considered that it would be… Never mind. Araeya, meet me at the foot of the Watchtower.” Petra had become hot on her heels with the news of the Fanatic and Uldren’s whereabouts, but Araeya still wanted answers.

“What? Why is the Watchtower so important?”

“I can’t explain right this second, but I do need your help over there.” With that, Petra called her galliot and ran through the safehouse and left, leaving Araeya none the wiser.

She turned to the Spider, expecting him to shed a little light on the matter.

“Ever heard of an Ahamkara, young Hunter?” he asked, narrowing his eyes.

Araeya had heard only remnant tales of The Great Hunt but wasn’t sure whether or not they were as true as told. She shook her head.

“Still so naïve…” he paused and looked at the Hunter as she stood before him in a blunder. “All will become clear, I’m sure. You should go. I shall send support onward to assist, but ultimately, you should delve deepest.” The Spider smiled from underneath his rebreather, but Araeya could tell by the unnatural light in his four beady eyes.

“You know something that I don’t. So, how about you scratch my back one more time?” she replied, her face menacing with a plan.

The Spider shook his head. “Tut, tut, tut, Hunter. All good things to those who wait.”

Araeya was sick of his games and telling her to wait. She stormed out of the safehouse and trundled across to the Cobble where she would find the foot of the Watchtower and a mass of Spider’s forces helping her fight the Scorn army, barring her from the Fanatic – her last wall between her and Cayde’s killer.

The fight was gruelling. Many of Spider’s associates died to the Scorn’s wrath while Araeya pushed back their forces as best she could – nothing was going to stop her now; she had made it this far.

She could almost smell the Scorn Baron before her as she stood at the foot of the Watchtower, looking up at the mutant. She could sense him scowling from underneath his helmet – his eyes burning in rage at what she had done to his army, his territory…his…friends.

“You killer…” he called with a voice so raspy.

“This, coming from you…” Araeya answered with little fear in her voice. Her face remained blank at the movements of the Baron, slowly walking towards her to get a better view of the person who had caused him such pain.

“You have come for father… You won’t find him…”

“On the contrary, Fikrul, that is exactly what I shall do and you can’t stop me.”

The Fanatic chuckled menacingly, and his stance became less threatening while he pondered the small being’s intent. “You think you can take us all… You cannot… We are alike… Trapped in death…”

Araeya stepped closer to him. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I already _have_ taken you all and I’ll do it again, and again, and again. _We_ are not alike. _You_ are in my way.”

The Baron knelt down in front of her to get a better look at the fire in her eyes. He could see that she was clouded – like something was draining the light from within her, swallowing her whole. He smiled from beneath the helmet and stood up, shadowing the Hunter, and summoned his staff, swirling arc energy all around the courtyard at the foot of the Watchtower.

“If you want father, you will have to go through me…” he announced.

Araeya put on her helmet and cocked her gun, ready with a challenge.

“Easy,” she whispered under her breath.


	15. Not Long Left

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Putting down the Fanatic was the last thing Araeya needed to do before she could get to Uldren - the man who murdered Cayde - but Twink has a change of heart and tries his hardest to stop her falling over the edge. Instead, he pushes her closer

Helmet half broken and running low on ammo, Araeya picked herself up off the floor and continued plodding forward, this time, Twink was in her ears as they climbed the Watchtower.

“Look at you! You’re a mess – you need to stop right here.”

Araeya ignored him.

“Petra, say something…”

Petra said nothing.

“Araeya, please…” Twink grew tired of Araeya’s recklessness and just wanted her to open her eyes just once. “Araeya you’re acting like…like… You’re acting like Kallori,” he said loudly. It worked. He got her to stop, but not for the reason he wanted her to.

Araeya turned to glare at him intensely. “I am _not_ acting like Kallori. She would push forward, sowing death wherever she walked, even if she didn’t have a reason to. I _do_ have a reason to. When this is all over, I’ll be done, but don’t make me come for you, next.”

Twink had heard enough from his Guardian. She had never spoken to him in such a careless tone and so he knew that the Guardian he _really_ wanted to speak to wouldn’t answer. “You wouldn’t do that – you need me, and you know it,” he asserted.

“I don’t need anyone!”

Araeya’s shout almost echoed down the corridors of the Watchtower and life came to a standstill as she and Twink stared at each other, both never waiving. Twink showed only as much hurt as a Ghost could and Araeya didn’t look in the slightest bit remorseful of her words and that was what hurt Twink the most.

He can take his Guardian being upset and speaking out of turn or in anger, but he was saddened by her words, made worse only by the lack of remorse. He had hoped that she was at least sorry for shouting such words in frustration.

But no. She was not and the fire in her eyes as she stared at him was only fuelled by his hurt – she took pleasure in the hurting of others. It made him remember something that he had read once.

_‘Be wary of those who would do harm._

_Yourself included._

_Mind that you do not become undone._

_For once infliction it tinged with joy, you are not but a beast…’_

He saw that same passage in person lit upon Araeya as she stood in silent fury before him.

Neither could say a word to the other. The silence screamed in their ears and Araeya wasn’t standing for it any longer.

She turned and continued the climb up the Watchtower. Twink felt obliged to follow – as most Ghosts would – but he couldn’t help but notice that Araeya was growing cold with each step.

He looked at her as her eyes fixated on the corridors ahead. They barely resembled their usual golden glow – they were grey, like the colour was being drained from her. The further they traversed the Watchtower’s corridors, the duller they became.

Twink had heard tale of Guardians who stray too far away from the Light and what they become – shadows of themselves. Remnants of their righteousness. Ghostly. He couldn’t let that happen to Araeya. She’d come so far. He couldn’t let her go, now. He had to find a way to bring her back from the dark, back into the light and back to the City where she would be reminded of what she was fighting for and why she is a Guardian.

Cayde never deserved to be murdered like that, but he knew the risks. Araeya shouldn’t have taken it upon herself to go down the road of vengeance. Cayde didn’t need avenging. But as with all things, emotion always has a part to play – sometimes a bigger part than they should.

Perhaps he just had to let Araeya do her thing and see if he can find her in the aftermath. She will have to face consequences, but at least she will be free of the burden clouding her judgement.

Upon reaching the top of the Watchtower, something was already amiss.

The entire room was filled to the brim with Sterile Neutrinos – the Taken – and at the back of the room, the wall harboured a ghastly creature with tentacles flying everywhere around it, a mouth as big as the ascendant plane.

Twink had been scanning the Watchtower since they first entered, and it was emitting an unfamiliar energy. The signals that it was sending off were to places he thought shouldn’t exist. But he didn’t have time to dig further.

Amidst the sound of the giant creature, screaming could be heard, emanating from the creature’s mouth.

“Araeya! That creature has Uldren! We have to take it down!” Twink shouted. “Where is Petra?” he asked himself, searching the comm networks.

“Get out of here, Ghost,” Araeya said bluntly.

_Ghost?_ Araeya has never referred to Twink as ‘Ghost.’

“I’m not leaving,” Twink asserted.

Araeya gave him a side-eye look. “Then it’s your funeral. That thing is between me and the man who murdered Cayde.”

As Araeya readied herself to take on the Taken creature, something didn’t sit right with Twink.

Uldren had come all the way to the top of the Watchtower for something, but without the Taken here, there was nothing. This made him wonder if there was perhaps something wrong with Uldren – that, like Araeya, something was inside him, draining him but luring him in some way. There was an external entity at play.

He didn’t have time to explain his theories to Araeya, for she was already knee deep in Taken and still going. He wasn’t going to get any word in until she was at the end of her crusade.

It wouldn’t be long.


	16. Nothing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It would never be Araeya to pull the trigger in the end. Instead, someone did her a favour and saved her from the final drop into darkness. This would inevitably have consequences later down the line, but for now, one thing at a time - even if it's nothing

The creature spat out the Awoken Prince as it disintegrated into nothingness as Araeya destroyed the Taken Blights from which it fed. There were still no answers as to what the creature was, but that wasn’t Araeya’s first thought.

She wasted no time in swiping the Ace of Spades from the floor and marching over to Uldren as he rolled himself over to look at the Hunter as she tore her helmet from her head to stare at him.

Even he could see more clearly since the corruption – he could see clearly that Araeya could not. He saw that she was swarmed by judgement that wasn’t her own.

She aimed the hand cannon directly at his face, her hands still with time. Uldren saw no expression upon Araeya’s face as she eyed him carefully, until Twink materialised before her and Petra walked in, her sidearm already drawn and pointing at him.

“No, Araeya. Even after everything he’s done, this isn’t how it should end,” Twink said, floating directly in her face.

Petra scrunched her face and gripped her sidearm even harder, her arms shaking in anger. “You have no idea what he’s done!”

Araeya looked over at Petra as she stood in anger, her eyes never leaving Uldren’s stare. He looked at Araeya, then again at Petra as the two Awoken ladies pointed their guns at him and he could see a clear difference between the two intentions – Petra knew that he had overstayed his welcome long ago, but Araeya knew him only as the man who murdered Cayde. One driven by a protective force for the greater good, one driven by the dark road of blind vengeance. He smiled.

“Funny. The line between light and dark is so…very thin…” Uldren chuckled.

Petra tensed even more and Araeya waivered slightly, lowering the Ace of Spades a little bit to think.

She didn’t get long before her thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of Kallori and Skivay into the pinnacle of the Watchtower. Skivay trailed behind while Kallori marched forward with purpose.

“Ari! Put down that gun, now!” she shouted, brushing past Petra. When Araeya didn’t respond, Kallori snatched the gun from her hands and grabbed her neck to pull her in close. Upon looking into Araeya’s eyes, Kallori could see that she wasn’t afraid. In fact, she looked as though she felt nothing at all. “What have you done to yourself?”

Slowly, Araeya’s eyes matched Kallori’s and there was still no change, so Kallori let go and moved her hand to her shoulder instead, sighing in defeat. She looked over her shoulder at Uldren and narrowed her eyes. “You haven’t killed him…”

“Not yet,” Araeya responded looking down at the Awoken Prince.

This surprised Kallori, so she thought she would try and push for answers. “What stopped you?”

“Nothing.”

“Something did, didn’t it? You didn’t just pick up the gun and shoot him the second you got the chance, so what stopped you?”

“I said _nothing._ ” Araeya had begun gritting her teeth against Kallori’s questions, but still, she persisted, determined to break the Hunter down. Skivay stood to the side watching on, concerned for the outcome.

“Kallori? Is it best to press her when she is in this state?” she asked, a sense of nervousness in her voice.

Kallori glared at her. “I will press her in any state when her own sanity is at risk. She should never have done this in the first place, and it won’t be long before the consequences catch up with her. I just want to know that there is still some light inside her.”

Skivay stepped back again and she and Cynder continued to watch the Warlock squeeze information from the Hunter all the while Petra stood motionless. She hadn’t shot Uldren, yet, either.

“So come on, Ari. What the fuck stopped you from killing the murdering bastard, huh? He killed Cayde! That makes you angry, yet he still breathes.”

Araeya looked at Kallori with a newfound fire in her eyes. “You snatched the gun from my hand.”

Kallori laughed. “You haven’t shouted at Petra to do it, either.” She looked closer at this fire – it was Araeya’s old golden glow reigniting inside. “You don’t _want_ to kill him, do you?”

Slowly, tears began streaming down Araeya’s cheeks and Kallori let her guard down. She had gotten through to her, finally.

“No…” Araeya began. “I don’t want to kill him. That would mean that all that I have done, this journey I have travelled… It’ll be over, but the pain won’t end. It won’t bring him back. I will have destroyed myself for nothing…”

Petra looked over at Araeya and Kallori as they came to terms with understanding what had been done. She was in no mood for heartfelt moments.

“If Cayde were here, I know what he’d do,” she asserted.

Uldren looked up at the four Awoken staring him down. “Oh yes… What would the notorious Cayde-6 do?” he chuckled.

Kallori looked to Araeya as she continued her inner destruction – a cross between anger and despair. She just continued shaking her head, unsure of what she should do.

“I… I can’t…”

“Are you going to finish him, or shall I?” Petra prompted, her patience running low.

“If I do… I don’t think I’ll be able to come back from it…”

Without hesitation, without looking away from Araeya’s tearful face, Kallori shot Uldren with the Ace of Spades, leaving Araeya stunned. She looked to her with fear in her eyes and Kallori smiled.

“Now you don’t have to destroy yourself, anymore. There’s nothing for you to come back from. I did it. I’ll take the fall. I’ll absorb the darkness. The Vanguard already hate me, this is just something to add to their never-ending list of reasons to remove me from the Guardian ranks. I’ll take the pain from you, shield you from more…” The two got closer as Kallori continued. “I’ll hold you together, even if I’m falling apart.”

Petra sighed. The Awoken Prince was dead and Cayde was avenged, but something still didn’t sit right with her – almost as if her job was unfinished.

Skivay could see the Queen’s Wrath’s pain and moved to comfort her. “Something bothers you, Petra.”

“Spider told me to be here for Araeya when she crossed the line, but in the end, she didn’t, and neither did I. He also told me that there is one place I needed to show her, but I don’t know if she’s ready for that, yet.”

“You’ll know. She’ll show it, one day.”

Petra’s stance shrunk. “All Awoken must know of this sacred place. What if it’s not that _she_ isn’t ready, but more that I don’t think _I’m_ ready?”

Skivay patted her on the back, fondly. “I have every faith that you’ll know the answer one day. For now, there’s nowhere else to go from here. What is done, is done.”


End file.
